


To Learn is to Know

by RoseByAnyOtherName17



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge (Derek/Stiles) [23]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Babysitting, First Kiss, Isaac Lahey/OFC - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:50:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7853239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseByAnyOtherName17/pseuds/RoseByAnyOtherName17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ghost of Derek's fingers carding through Stiles' hair made him suppress a shiver.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Learn is to Know

The last thing Stiles had been expecting at eight in the morning was a phone call from Derek, of all people. “Who’s dying?” is what he answered with. 

“No one.” Derek sounded like someone was though. “I need you to get over here.”

Stiles groaned. “Seriously man? It’s Saturday. Unless someone is being held at gunpoint or worse, there is absolutely no reason to be calling me before ten in the morning on the weekend.”

“Stiles, please! I’ll give your Jeep a free detail down at the shop, but I need your help.” 

Stiles groaned. “Fine, asshole. I’ll be there in a half hour.”

“That’s too long!”

“Tough shit, buddy, I need to shower.”

Thirty-two minutes later, Stiles blearily let himself into the loft…and was greeted with the sight of four children climbing Derek like he was a jungle gym. “Uh…what’s this?”

“Isaac and his wife are in town,” Derek said miserably. “They were supposed to be visiting, that’s it, but she’s never seen the area and Isaac wanted to take her on a tour and they left me here alone with them.”

“At this time of day?”

“They woke up at seven. The kids, I mean. Isaac left a little while ago.” Derek winced when particularly playful little girl stood up on his shoulders and grabbed his hair to keep her balance. “I need your help.”

Stiles bit his lip, then yelled out, “Breakfast!” He was swarmed by small children almost immediately. Small werewolf children, it was becoming apparent, because their eyes flashed yellow every few seconds and pairs of fangs glistened in their laughing mouths. “So why did you call the human to deal with the werewolf infestation?” Stiles asked, hoisting one of the littlest ones (he was pretty sure he was only a couple years old) up into his arms and leading the way to the kitchen with the kids following like ducklings behind him. 

“You’re the best with kids,” Derek said. “And they can’t turn you.”

“Are all of them…?”

“I’m not!” the little girl that he’d noticed before piped up. She opened her mouth wide, pointing at her mouth. “See?”

“I see.” Stiles tried not to laugh. “And who are you?”

“Tessa!” She whirled around and jumped on Derek, who stiffened uncomfortably. “Uncle Derek is scared of us.”

“I am not,” Derek grumbled, and the oldest immediately turned around and shouted, “Liar!” Derek said something under his breath, and the kids all laughed. Stiles was pretty sure it was a curse word or two.

“Don’t teach them language like that,” Stiles admonished. He set the one he was carrying into a high chair that was evidently left by Isaac and his wife, and the other three clambered into chairs around the dining room table a few feet away. “Now. What’re the rest of your names?”

The oldest introduced himself as Billy, the littlest as Adrian, and the one next to Tessa as Lizzie. “Alright, well what do you guys want for breakfast?” Stiles peered into the fridge. “I could make some scrambled eggs, maybe some pancakes…”

“Can you make chocolate chip pancakes?” Lizzie asked timidly.

Stiles raised an eyebrow at Derek, who was already pulling out the mix and chocolate chips. Stiles began cracking eggs into an old mug, and before long, had a large, fluffy pile of eggs waiting on the counter while Derek made the pancakes. Stiles suspected he was only doing it to avoid having to deal with the four little werewolves for as long as possible. 

Stiles took mercy on him when the pancakes were finished. “Go take a shower,” he told him. “I can handle this for now.” 

Derek looked grateful, and he curled a hand around Stiles’ hip as he passed, lingering for just a second to press his nose to his temple before making his way upstairs. Stiles froze in place and nearly dropped the forks he was bringing to the table, staring at Derek until he was out of sight. He swallowed hard and laid the utensils out, giving them each a little bit of syrup over their pancakes, except for Adrian. They finished the food in record time, and Stiles piled the dirty dishes into the sink before wiping the table down with a wet washcloth to get the worst of the stick from it. 

“Did they bring any movies with them?” he called, knowing Derek would hear him even from the shower upstairs.

Sure enough, Derek came down in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else a minute later, carrying a bag. Stiles’ mouth went dry and he quickly turned his attention to keeping an eye on Adrian, who seemed determined to pull Derek’s massive bookcase down on himself. He gathered the little guy up in his arms, half wolfed out from indignation and a lack of self-control, and deemed himself ready to look at Derek again without swallowing his tongue. For a moment, their eyes met, and Derek looked a little lost. “Movies?” Stiles prompted, hoping his heartbeat wouldn’t betray him.

“Uh, yeah,” Derek said quickly, rifling through the bag, and Stiles forced himself not to stare at the triskele on his back, or his ass, which his pants seemed to barely cover. “There’s a few Disney movies in here. And all three of the Spy Kids movies.”

“Spy Kids!” Tessa and Billy chanted together, until Lizzie began copying them, and Adrian clapped his hands happily, bookcase forgotten. They got even more excited when Derek pulled the set out, looking at it uncertainly.

Stiles handed him Adrian in exchange for the movies, popping the first one into the DVD player. He grabbed a couple of blankets and plopped down onto the couch, allowing Lizzie and Tessa to arrange themselves on either side of him. Derek hesitantly sat down between Tessa and the arm of the couch, and Billy stretched out on the armchair that was usually occupied by Scott at pack meetings. Stiles wondered suddenly how overwhelming everything must be for these little werewolves that hadn’t been alive for very long. The sounds, the smells…

He felt fingers very carefully resting on the back of his neck and jerked, startled. Derek was staring straight at the screen, where the movie was beginning, but his arm was placed on the back of the couch, elbow bent a little more than it should’ve been, and now his hand was working its way into Stiles’ hair. He shuddered just a little bit, and he swore the corner of Derek’s mouth twitched.

They were almost finished with the second movie when, one by one, the little guys began to yawn. Adrian was curled up in Derek’s lap, sucking his thumb, and the girls were both sound asleep. Even Billy looked sleepy, even though Stiles was pretty sure he would’ve said that seven-year-olds were too old for naps.

Stiles signaled to Derek before slipping his arms under the girls and lifting. Billy followed once he knew what they were doing, and they walked upstairs one by one to a small room that Stiles hadn’t been in before. There was a bed where Isaac and his wife must’ve been sleeping, and then three piles of blankets scattered across the room and a toddler bed in the corner. 

Derek shut the door quietly behind him before following Stiles back downstairs. Stiles could still feel the ghosts of Derek’s fingers carding through his hair and he suppressed a shiver. “When should they be back?” He kept his voice low, knowing all too well about werewolf super-hearing. 

“Soon,” Derek promised. “Then you can get going. Thanks for helping me out,” he added, ducking his head a little bit. “I’m not the best with kids.”

“You’re just out of practice,” Stiles told him, nudging him lightly. Derek was gazing at him with that lost look on his face again, but the loft door was opening and Isaac and a pretty blond woman were coming in.

“Stiles!” Isaac exclaimed, hugging him hard. “It’s been awhile, how are you?”

“I’m alright,” Stiles said, grinning. “I take it you’re Quinn?”

The woman smiled. “It’s lovely to meet you.” She shook his outstretched hand. “I hope the kids weren’t too much trouble, Derek.” She spoke with a soft accent; evidently Isaac had met her while he was in Europe with Chris Argent.

“They were fine,” Derek assured her. “Stiles helped out. They’re napping now.”

“Even Billy?” Quinn sounded surprised. “He hardly ever naps anymore.”

Derek shrugged. 

“Well, I’m going to head out,” Stiles said, all too aware of Derek standing just behind him, close enough that he would barely have to reach back to touch his hand. “I’ve got some papers to grade.” 

“You should go too,” Isaac told Derek. “It wasn’t really fair of us to leave you with the kids all day.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Isaac and Quinn said together. 

Derek followed Stiles out after shrugging on a t-shirt and his leather jacket (which had somehow survived all of the supernatural crap they had gone through over the last eight years with minimal damage). They were silent all the way to the parking lot, until Derek followed Stiles right into the Jeep, not even hesitating at the passenger side door. Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but Derek was leaning his head back against the headrest, his entire body going lax. He bit down on his tongue instead, and drove home.

Teaching mythology at the local community college had given Stiles enough income to buy a little house just on the edge of the preserve, not too far from the old Hale house. It would never be large enough to raise a family in or anything, but Stiles had given that up a long time ago. There were just some things that weren’t going to happen when you ran with wolves.

“Want anything?” Stiles asked when they were inside. 

Derek looked troubled. “I didn’t know you wanted a family,” he blurted out after a second, eyes meeting Stiles. He looked almost like he was in pain, and Stiles couldn’t figure out what to say to that. But Derek kept going. “I mean, I knew you liked them and all, but you want some of your own, don’t you?” He stepped closer, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides like he wanted to reach out and touch but wouldn’t let himself. “Why don’t you?” he finished weakly.

Stiles shrugged, but his heartbeat had rocketed up during that little speech, and he felt shaky. “I don’t—I don’t know. I just never really—there was never really time for it, I guess. Or a person to have a family with.” He looked away, unable to watch Derek’s face twist in anxiety and something akin to sorrow. “And I have you, and Scott, and the rest of the pack. I don’t really need one. You are my family.”

Derek looked completely lost. “You don’t understand. I—I want you to be happy.”

Stiles shook his head. “I am happy.” He wrapped a hand around Derek’s, forcing it to relax from its current fist. “Derek, I’m not upset with the way things turned out. Is it what I thought I’d have? Well, no, but I’m pretty good with it all. I’ve got everything I want right here.” 

Derek was shaking under Stiles’ fingers, and when he unconsciously pressed closer it became evident that his entire body was in the same state. “Derek,” he whispered, “I promise, I’m not missing anything.” And before he could stop himself, he had Derek’s mouth under his own, and it was like something just clicked into place.

Not for Stiles; he’d known Derek was it for him since he’d taken the time to drive up to his university once a month to visit him. Maybe before then. But Derek whined in the back of his throat, nudging Stiles’ nose aside with his own so he could kiss him deeper, slower, and before long Stiles was shaking just as hard as he had been. There was an arm around his waist and a hand on the side of his neck, thumb brushing his cheek. Stiles groaned at the first swipe of Derek’s tongue across his lip, and had to break away to breathe, to rearrange everything he knew about their relationship in his head.

“I didn’t know,” he gasped out against Derek’s cheek.

Derek just kissed him again, harder, desperate, until all Stiles knew was the two of them.


End file.
